Amanda Knox, whose initial guilty verdict for the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher was overturned in 2011, has been re-convicted of the crime by an Italian court.

Amanda Knox Trial Verdict Reached

Both Knox and her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were convicted of Kercher’s murder in 2009, before the verdict was overturned in 2011. In Florence on Thursday, the court decided to uphold their initial convictions. Knox was sentenced to 28.5 years behind bars, while Sollecito was given 25 years, reported Fox News.

The jury, made up of two judges and six lay jurors, spent just 12 hours in deliberation before reaching the guilty verdict. Lawyers for Sollecito, who was absent from the court upon the verdict announcement, have vowed to appeal. Knox, who has been living in Seattle, Wash., since her acquittal in 2011, is also expected to appeal. Since she’s currently residing in the U.S., there’s also bound to be a lengthy legal battle pertaining to her extradition back to Italy.

Knox, Sollecito Accused Of Murdering Meredith Kercher

In 2007, Knox was an exchange student in Perugia, Italy, where the British-born Kercher was her roommate. When Kercher was found stabbed to death in their apartment, investigators were inclined to pursue both Knox and Sollecito as the prime suspects. Although they were convicted in 2009, the lack of evidence introduced won them an acquittal two years later.

Throughout Knox and Sollecito’s legal battles, another man has been serving time for the murder. Rudy Hermann Guede has already been convicted of killing Kercher and is serving out a 16-year-sentence. Prosecutors alleged that he had the help of both Knox and Sollecito. The defense repeatedly made the argument that according to evidence, it’s more plausible Guede acted alone.

– Chelsea Regan

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